Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 84, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 July 1909 — Postal Department WILL Soon Issue New Postal Cards. [ARTICLE]

Postal Department WILL Soon Issue New Postal Cards.

With the coming of the Deyr year will also come an entirely different postal card from the ones in use today. Postmaster General Hitchcock has instructed the expert chemists of the department of agriculture to work out a formula that will produce a better paper than can be made up under the contract now in force. He says the postal cards issued by the government this country are inferior to those used by most all other countries. It is now thought that changes will be made in the general style of printing and arrangement of the type and designs. It is quite likely, however, thjat the head of our martyred president, McKinley, will be retained on the stamp. It is possible that the color of the ink and the tint of the paper will be changed. An effort will be made, however, to produce a more durable card and one of less weight if it can be accomplished at all. The government at present is issuing 75,000,000 postal cards a month. The present contract will expire with the end of 1909 and in the meantime the postmaster general will give personal attention to devising a more substantial and ornate card.